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Continued from page 19 they decide if karting’s something they enjoy enough to pursue more seriously.” Four years’ experience, with ever-increasing success on the track, inspired Cody to seek even greater challenges. As a rookie driver in the Mosport International Karting As- sociation’s “club level,” Cody finished the 2012 season third in points, winning four races outright. “The drivers at club level are more i d, so the Fenton smiles as he describes his mechanical back- ground. “Ym still learning,” he laughs. “But I’ve found the more you search for knowledge, the more you find.” The pair agrees that the key to success on the track is to tune the kart to its driver. “Bach driver has tendencies, strengths, and competition’s definitely much stiffer,” he says. And owning his kart, he adds, has offered the opportu- nity for further improvement. “The tires I’m running now are better, so the kart takes corners without ‘drifting.’”” With the move to higher competition, Cody needed sponsorship to defray the increased expense as well as a mechanic to tune his machine. The first he would find in his hometown; the second he found, literally, at home. “I sent a sponsorship letter to local businesses. I’m grateful for the enthusiastic response I got - both cash and product. “My dad had been my biggest fan while I ran arrive- and-drive, and now he also became my mechanic.” Jeff Jeff Fenton and his son Cody near their Scugog Island home. 20 FOCUS - JUNE 2013 ;,” Jeff explains. “The balancing of gears, chassis, and tires reflect those. On the track, the best balanced kart almost always wins.” Race-day conditions, Cody continues, also de- mand adjustments. “A hot day requires lower tire pressure. And no matter what the outside temperature is, once the race starts the tires will heat up. That changes the han- dling quite a bit.” In-race changes to the kart’s performance also create different driving strategies. “Some drivers will tune, pre-race, to maximize their kart’s performance right off the start, hoping to get ahead of the pack and nurse the lead to the finish line. But like the tires, your kart will ‘come to you’ as it warms up, meaning it'll perform better midway through the race than it did at the beginning. If you can keep close until that happens, you'll have a good chance to challenge for the lead.” So which strategy is better? ‘It'sa Personal Preference as well as your posi- tion starting the r Karting determines pole position exactly as Indy and NASCAR do, measuring speed on qualifying rounds. As many as a dozen karts may fill the field, which often runs as a tightly-bunched pack. The drivers’ skill becomes critical, since there is little tolerance for error at such close quarters. ’These karts can reach 100 km/hour in the straightaways, and accidents do happen,” Jeff re- ports. “During a race, it’s highly competitive, but off the track, everyone's friends.” Cody runs a 6.5 horsepower, 4-stroke Honda engine in his racing class. “That might not sound like a powerful combi- nation,” Jeff adds. “But with the total race weight of each machine hovering around the 335-pound minimum, it sure is.” Not surprisingly, the feeling of controlled power is part of the sport's attraction. “I definitely enjoy the tush of the speed,” Cody admits. His involvement, he says, can’t and doesn’t end with race day. “7 practice every weekend the track’s free. If you're not 100 per cent into it after hours and during the following week, it'll show up in the next race.” Jeff likens the cost of competitive karting to play- ing rep hockey. “Tires are our biggest single expense,” he ex- plains. “They’re changed regularly, and of course we carry various kinds for different weather conditions.